Everyone who has ever been frustrated driving around urban areas in search of parking has wished for a solution that could quickly lead them to that elusive spot. This concern attracted strategic investments from dedicated industry sectors to boost parking revenues through technology-enabled solutions. The parking industry is being revolutionised by new technologies that enable cities to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emission. The Internet of Things (IoT) permeates with the world of parking to streamline processes that deliver intelligent parking solutions, which extend and manage parking inventories.
In this context, IoT uses embedded wireless sensor networks to connect physical parking space infrastructures with information and communication technologies, where cloud-based smart management services are provided. This interconnectivity shift is also driving social-economical changes, where data unleashed from physical infrastructures is leading to productivity gains through new applications and new business models.
A tier II city of Jharkhand wanted to implement a Smart Parking and Driver Assist System (SPDAS) which will help its users, by assisting them with their parking of vehicles.
Thus, Som Imaging Informatics built the system which will automatically provide all the details in the parking areas on the basis of processing all the sensors data. It is designed to be running on a low-budget platform and in the meantime, allowing its developers to eventually work-on and expand their controls over a variety of other inter-connected electronic devices and parking data analytics.
The major solution components used were: Sensors, micro-controller and signal processing, IoT subsystem, storage capacity, communication resources, mobile application with Smart Parking Assist System.
The project threw some serious challenges, the most-tough one being, there will not be any human or boom-barrier at the entry and exit gate. It means there will be free movement of cows, human beings, motorcycles within the parking lot and the system has to discriminate them from motor vehicles. However, the solution with which Som Imaging Informatics came up with to tackle the issue is unique.
The most innovative part of the solution lies here. Instead of one IR beam, it used dual IR sensing at gates and developed complex algorithm of beam interruption pattern to discriminate other moving objects from cars. Also, the beam interruption vector gives the direction of the car’s movement. So when the city authorities wanted to make smaller parking lots with only one gate, it had no issues with the same. That also made it budget friendly.
Thus, there are numerous benefits experienced after the system was installed. The solution now accurately predicts and senses/spots vehicle occupancy in real-time; guides drivers to available parking; optimises parking space usage; simplifies the parking experience adding value for parking stakeholders; helps traffic in the city flow more freely; enables intelligent decision making using data, including real time and historical analytics reports; ensures better and real time monitoring and managing of available parking space, resulting in significant revenue generation; and provides tools to optimise workforce management.
good sharing; many thanks
Need smart parking system solution